How to do King's Day Amsterdam right!

A man, dressed in orange from head to toe, pushed a wheelbarrow full of Heineken past me and I knew, I’m the middle of the Dutch National Holiday: King’s Day or Koningsdag!

King’s Day is quite simply the day that the Dutch King celebrates his birthday, and the entire country celebrates with him! What a birthday, hey?

I spent 48 hours in Amsterdam with Clink Hostels, I saw everything orange, tulips and had many cocktails! :) Here is a quick guide on how to get the best out of King’s Day. For more info and details you can watch my vlog below.

1. Book accommodation early! - Clink Hostels is a good option, it’s cheap, it’s central and they even have a super fun King’s Night party the day before. I attended it and I played a lot of fun Dutch games which made no sense but won me a shot or two! :D King’s Day is super popular and people come from all over the world so make sure accommodation is the first thing you look into. I know you want to plan your outfits first, but trust me this is more important ;)

2. Wear orange! - You might think, that this is obvious, but let me tell you I was dressed in orange from head to toe (see video below) and I got so many people coming up to me, complimenting me about my outfit, including me in their group, offering me drinks or a boogie and I felt almost Dutch! :D I was travelling alone after all, so this helped - a lot!

3. Bring something rain proof - An umbrella, boots and, or a rain coat will do! When I went it rained a lot - King’s Day, at the moment, is in April so you never know! I was grateful for my umbrella.

4. Book your space on a party boat, if you want to go all the way - I didn’t, but seeing the boats on the various canals, playing the absolute best European Dance tracks (don’t judge), I felt that this would have been the cherry on top!

5. Drink responsibly - I really mean it! King’s Day is so much fun and everyone is dancing outside on the streets. You will be offered drinks, shots, drinks and shots on every corner. Pubs offer you their very best orange cocktail, which will be super sweet and super delicious so it’s very easy to say yes to all of them :) Just make sure you pace yourself because the party goes on until the next morning, if you want, and you don’t want to be back in your hostel bed by 10:00pm - although it was very comfortable, I have to say :)

Things to do in Malmö, Sweden

Malmö is a coastal city in Sweden, only 30 minutes away from Copenhagen, Denmark! We rented a bike and off we went. It’s small enough so that you can explore the majority of the city in just one or two days. If I had to summarise my trip in one word I would say calm. I left this city feeling relaxed and excited to come back - Malmö has stolen my heart.

1. Rent a bike in Malmö - Hands down the best way to get around the city!

2. Take an ice cold bath - At Ribersborgs Kallbadhus you will be able to swim in the open sea, no matter the weather. It’s good for your immune system and your soul. Sit in the sauna afterwards and think to yourself: ‘ I did this! ‘

3. Eat at the Malmö Street Food Market - Malmö Saluhall - Exciting, vibrant and full of amazing food! We went for vegan Ramen, but the choice wasn’t easy. Overall Malmö offers amazing food options for every dietary requirement all over the city - which I loved :)

4. Visit the Disgusting Food Museum - You are now warned! Watch the vlog below for more!

5. Play Boule - I had never played Boule before but mixed with Swedish friendliness, Swedish beer and some competitive spirit this might have been my favourite activity of the day!

Why Edinburgh was my favourite Travel Destination 2018

We sat on the tram on our way to Edinburgh city central. The moment we saw Edinburgh Castle for the first time we literally jumped up from our seats like children when discovering Disneyland for the first time!

Let me try to put in words, why Edinburgh was my Disneyland 2018!

1. Pictures of Edinburgh Castle don’t do it justice! - They really don’t. Imagine a castle, on top of a green hill, surrounded by a green park and accompanied by medieval gothic and renaissance architecture. Imagine this hill is in fact in the middle of a somewhat modern city, yet no building reaches it’s hight even remotely. It’s like a throne and it’s also a little bit like the rock in The Lion King. This is what made us jump up from our seats. You have to see it for yourself.

2. Harry Potter and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde live in Edinburgh - Well, not quite, but we did a tour with Rabbie’s Tours around the city, and discovered that many stories like Harry Potter have their routes in Edinburgh. I could feel it. Magic.

3. You can actually breathe in Edinburgh - With it being so close to the seaside and fairly high up north, the air in Edinburgh is NOT breathtaking! See what I did there? ;) The moment we left the airport and took a breath we realised two things: 1. London air really is very polluted, and 2. THIS is what actual fresh air feels like. It feels clean and full of goodness. Every Yoga teacher would say: ‘Take not one but two deep breaths in!’

4. Whisky - A local said to me: ‘Only old men drink whisky!’ And I’m going to be honest with you guys, it felt a little bit like someone had just told me that Father Christmas doesn’t exists! So I decided to do what I did when my mum told me this when I was 5: Ignore it and fully live my Whisky excitement by visiting the two most amazing places to try it in Edinburgh: The Whiski Rooms & The Devil’s Advocate. Flicking through menus of over 200 Whisky types, we felt like Children having to choose at a Pick ‘n’ Mix station, probably in Disneyland.

5. Dean Village - It’s what it says on the tin, a village in the middle of Scotland’s capital. Tranquil, picturesque and somewhat of a little Scottish oasis really. Streams of crystal clear water float through colourful 19th century buildings and I forgot the world around me. It is my number one must see place in Edinburgh and it absolutely and without a doubt needs to be on any travel itinerary ever when visiting.

Things to do in Edinburgh? Yes, you need to visit Edinburgh Castle, but there is so much more to see! Follow me around for a 48 hour guide on what to do in Edinburgh - Food, amazing tourist attractions and more!

8 Reasons why Bali surprised me

Would you agree with me when I say that Bali is one of those dream destinations? You see pictures, you hear stories and you dream about visiting. So did I. So I went. I flew 7 hours from London to Doha, 9 hours from Doha to Denpasar with Qatar Airways and landed in Bali, ready for my Indonesian adventure.

1. I didn’t need any make up! Now, you might be wondering what this has to do with Bali, but let me explain. I thought I had packed like a full fledged minimalist when I decided ‘only’ to take my foundation. Little did I know that the humidity and heat was so strong that I genuinely laughed at myself for even considering putting anything on my face other than sun-cream!

2. It is even cheaper than you think. For 10 days I lived in a private villa with 3 other people, we ate out at least twice a day, we rented a scooter the entire time and I paid for extras like dresses, ferries to Nusa Penida and snacks. Believe it or not when I tell you I spent just under £300 including everything above, excluding the flights. On average a dress will cost you £3 and a meal out for one person will cost you £2. The life! :)

3. Plastic pollution is a real problem. This was surprising because you simply don’t see any of this on all the pictures and just imagine it to be paradise. Bali really is paradise, don’t get me wrong, but tourists as well as locals throw plastic bottles on the street once they are done with it. The government is aware and you can see efforts to stop pollution here or there but it is still a long way to go.

4. The wildlife is wilder than you think. Our taxi driver told us: ‘I have never seen a snake or a huge spider in Bali!’ - Honestly, either he lives a sheltered life OR he just has been very very lucky! :D We were frequently visited by frogs, mini crocodiles, bats, geckos, snails, ants, spiders AND snakes! A little green tree snake lived next to our pool where I liked to sit and drink my cocktails - oh heyyy! Let’s not talk about that time I grabbed a toilet roll and a huge, black hairy spider crawled out, let’s not!

5. The locals are the friendliest people I have ever met. Normally, when you travel you always say ‘Oh, everyone was so friendly!’ - Right? This surprised me nonetheless because this was a new level of friendliness. Incredibly caring, respectful and polite is probably the best way to describe it. You really feel more than welcome everywhere. Karma plays a big part in this, too.

6. Nusa Penida surprised me as a whole. You know, that beautiful island with the turquoise water and the island arm that looks like a T-rex? Yes, that one. The beauty of this place really took my breath away. I thought I had seen it all, but it was a sight I will cherish forever, and a feeling of freedom I will never forget. Pretty much untouched nature in it’s absolute beauty. A must visit. Take the ferry from Sanur in the morning and off you go. Please be prepared for bumpy roads and a sore bum! It’s not that well developed you just.

7. People know about Bali and it’s incredibly popular! What I mean by that is that there were more tourists than I would have expected. Locals have caught on and charge you for everything btw. :D You want to take a picture from the viewing platform? Please pay 10K Rupiah! Overall I had expected many places in Bali to be kept more of a ‘secret’ than they actually were. Pura Lempuyang for instance already feels like a mini Eiffel Tower when you look at it’s popularity. Maybe it was my naivety but let me tell you, Bali is no longer a secret.

8. Vegan food is all you will need! I hadn’t planned to eat much meat our there anyway, but what actually happened was that I didn’t eat a single bite of meat or dairy. I didn’t need to. The vegan food on Bali is one of the most sophisticated vegan cuisines I have ever seen. It almost feels like magic and it was oh so scrumptious! Zest, Ubud for me was a personal highlight!

Top 5 Warsaw Travel Tips

It’s meant to be beautiful they said. Little did I know that I was about to visit a town so colourful and full of energy, yet so much in touch with its historical past.

My Grandad was from Warsaw, and when I was growing up he told me about this city and that I should visit. He was right! We flew 2h and 20m from London and our weekend adventure began.

1. Eat ‘Lenin’s Lamb’ at the Red Hog restaurant. An iconic and must visit Polish restaurant which books out days in advance. Make sure you book ahead and laughs and full (or very full) bellies are guaranteed.

2. Visit the Communism museum! It’s a tiny little time capsule back to what life was like under communism. I felt like I was in my Granddad’s old house - it even smelt like it! Super cheap, super fun!

3. Look at Stalin’s so called present to the Polish people and highest building in the country: The palace of Culture and Science. It’s like Marmite - you either hate it or love it! I like Marmite!

4. Eat more at the coolest street food market in town! Hala Koszyki is pretty cool and one of the most modern places in Warsaw. International food and Polish Pierogi in one place! We tried cherry beer at 10:00am - woop!

5. Be in awe at the Lazienki Park! The most golden park I have ever seen. Perfect blogger spot to shoot outfits, for a romantic stroll and for a proposal! We didn’t see anyone proposing but if you watch my vlog below you’ll get me :)

Enjoy

x Sandy

Top 5 things to do in Warsaw, when visiting for the first time!